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Summer Classes started just over two weeks ago and all of my projects got put on a big hold! This past weekend I had a short time to work on a quick one. The Fourth of July is this weekend and our apartment needed some decorating for the occasion. I got the idea for this door sign when I saw the wooden letters on sale at the craft store. Over all with drying time, this project took about an hour! There is also glitter all over our apartment, but it was worth it!

Supplies

Wooden Letters

Glitter {Red, Silver, Blue}

Burlap Ribbon {Regular burlap may be used. The wire ribbon just made it easier because it was pre-cut width wise and the wire helped it keep its shape!}

Festive Ribbon

Wooden Dowel

Glue Gun

Mod Podge

Directions

{Step 1}

Cover the letters in glitter! I put on the first layer, but then decided that they needed another layer. Iwaited about 20 minutes between layers. To help it stick better, I pressed the glitter around the edges using my hands. Messy, yes. Effective, very. Fun fact, it is nearly impossible to fine a darker blue chunky glitter. I looked at four different shops and had to settle with fine blue glitter.

{Step 2}

While the letters were drying, I made the bows for the backing. To make these, cut 3 strips of burlap ribbon into 24 inch strips. Then find the middle of the strip. Once you find the middle, fold the ends to the middle, overlapping them by half and inch.

Folded ribbon

{Step 3}

To make it into an actual bow, I first cut a thin strip of regular burlap. I then pinched the center of the big bow and glued the thin strip on the back. As I wrapped the strip around the middle, I added some hot glue to keep it in place. You can always reshape the bow before and after you glue it!

Back of the bow

Front of the bow

{Step 4}

To attach the letters to the bows, center the shape on the bow and marked the back of the letters. Then fill in with hot glue between your marks and attach to the bow.

{Step 5}

Measure the wooden dowel so that the top is covered by the “U” bow and the bottom is covered by the “A” bow. I did this by placing the bows on the dowel and then marking where to cut it. As I was cutting the dowel, I decided that it needed something at the bottom since there was some pretty ribbon at the top. Josh agreed, so I curled some wire ribbon and glued it to the bottom. It just makes it a bit more festive! At the top, I attached a small loop of ribbon using hot glue. This way it can be hung up.

{Step 6}

To attach the bows to the dowel, put hot glue on the dowel where the bow will be placed. Then press the bow onto the dowel and allow the glue to cool. Do this with all three before attaching the backing. To make a backing, cut a small piece of burlap and hot glue it on the back of the bow so it covers the dowel and part of the bow.

If you are new here, out of all the things you could know me, there is one that you need to know. I love glitter. This past Christmas, I made glitter coffee mugs for my friends. Unfortunately, I don’t drink a whole lotta coffee. Nor do I drink a whole lotta cocktails either, but I do drink a lot of juice! You can put juice in a cocktail glass, right? I’m just going to go with yes, yes you can.

This project is just like the coffee mugs, so it’s versatile! It also cost me about $2/glass. Not bad, huh!?

Materials:

Martha Stewart Decoupage – Multi-Surface Durable Gloss Finish (It doesn’t have to be this particular decoupage. Any WATER PROOF decoupage will work. Mod Podge will NOT work because it is waterbased. Therefore it will slowly dissolve as the glasses are washed. I can say for a fact that this decoupage has held up very well!)

Glasses (I got mine at the Dollar Tree!)

Glitter

Paint Brushes

{Step 1} Wash and completely dry the glasses

{Step 2} Using a paint brush, apply the decoupage. Use thin layers to ensure that it will dry evenly. If you prefer a crisp line, use painters tape to mark a line on the glass. I wanted something a little less perfect, so I just painted around the glass. I have uneven spots, but I like it!

{Step 3} Apply the first layer of glitter! I just poured it over the glass over a piece of paper. Then I poured the glitter back into the glitter container. {Nothing fancy there!}

{Step 4} Let the glass dry. I let mine sit out for an hour before I tapped off all of the extra glitter and poured the glitter back into the containers.

{Step 5} Apply another layer of decoupage. With this layer, you need to go slow to make sure the glitter isn’t rubbed off. Also, make sure your glass is completely dry before applying the next layer or else it will glob up and look messy.

{Step 6} Add the last layer of glitter, just like before!

{Step 7} Repeat Step 3!

{Step 8} Repeat Step 5! And then you wait. For best results, follow the drying directions on your bottle of decoupage. When I gave these out for Christmas, the glasses dried for about 8 or 10 days before people started using them. Technically they are supposed to cure for 28 days. My mom has been using hers everyday and it hasn’t chipped yet! You might want to add another layer of decoupage to make a stronger seal on the glass. Be sure to cover any open edges of glitter to ensure a waterproof glass!

*Hand wash glasses with warm soapy water. Do not put in the dishwasher!

I am pretty much in love with these glasses. They sparkle and shine and make the few drinks I have look extra pretty. They also make my Kool-Aide taste extra fancy! It was such an easy project and besides drying time, went pretty fast as well! If Josh would let me, I would add designs to all of our glasses!!! But I’m pretty sure he’d glare at me for days if I did so.

Last summer, I attempted to dress up our kitchen table a little bit. For some reason, I really wanted some frosted glass votives but I didn’t want to etch them. Etching cream can be expensive and take a while to finish the process of etching the glass. While at the hardware store getting supplies for another project, I found some Krylon Frosted Glass Finish. It was perfect for this project! The spray paint was easy to apply, dried fast, and was pretty cheap! Next I took a trip to the Dollar Tree and picked up a few small candle holders. When I got home, I taped a design on them using masking tape. I cut the tape in different widths to give my designs different looks. I also used a few glasses that already had candles in them. They were ones that I picked up on sale at Bath and Body Works.

{Step One} Use masking tape to create a designs on the votive.

After I had all of my designs done, I laid out news paper on the ground and sprayed one coat of Frosted Glass Finish on the votives. I sprayed it about 4-6 inches away from the glass to give it an even coat. Be sure to do this step out side or in a well vented area! After the finish dried for 15 minutes, I put another coat of Frosted Glass Finish on and repeated the process once more. Basically, I kept adding layers until I was happy with the amount of frost on the glass. You can add more or use less depending on what you would like your votives to look like!

{Step 2} Spray the votives with the Frosted Glass Finish. Wait 15 minutes or more between coats!

Next, I let the spray paint dry and cure. I let them sit outside for a couple of hours to make sure they were completely dry. Once the votives were dry, I removed the tape.

{Step Three} Let the votives dry for a few hours.{Step Four} Remove the tape from the votives

I used some small votive candles that I picked up at the Dollar Tree. I love the way that they turned out!